This application is a continuation-in-part of pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/856,304, filed Jun. 1, 2004.
The present invention relates generally to a hand, wrist and finger brace, one example being a boxer's fracture brace. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved brace for temporarily immobilizing the hand in such a way as to allow a fracture of the neck of the fourth, ring finger, or fifth metacarpal, which is the bone in the small finger of the human hand, to heal in a desired manner, with a minimum of disruption in the patient's normal activity.
There are over 1,500,000 metacarpal and phalangeal fractures each year. A large percentage of these involve a fracture of the fourth or fifth metacarpal shaft and neck. This injury is commonly known as a “boxer's fracture”, as it is often the result of someone striking or punching an object harder than the hand, such as a wall or another person's head as during boxing. The traditional treatment for such an injury is three to six weeks of cast immobilization. Due to how these types of injuries occur, they are often experienced in younger, more active individuals. In such patients, there is a high desire and need to return to work and/or physical and athletic activities as quickly as possible. Therefore, there exists a need for treatment of these types of injuries in such a way as to allow an accelerated return to normal activities by the patient in an easy and hand flexible manner.